What You Need to Know about Sealing Your Windows

A comfortable home owes its warmth and coziness from well-maintained windows. But oftentimes, perhaps because of the natural wear and tear of materials, windows do not live up to this purpose. As such, homeowners are becoming smarter in keeping the windows properly sealed and draft-free. Let’s find out why sealing your windows is a big deal, and what happens when your trusted contractors from Glass King seal your windows.

Importance of Sealing Your Windows

Sealing windows reinforces the window’s very purpose. Specifically, it keeps you and your home free from the drafts, rain, dust, pollution, and even bugs from the outside. Keeping your home free from these elements would make your home and everything in it last longer.

To improve energy and cost efficiency

Drafts are currents of cold air that seep into an unsealed window even when it is closed. They make your home a bit chillier especially during the cold months. If this happens, your room heater would work harder to keep your temperature well-regulated, which will keep your energy consumption high.

The same thing goes with the summer heat. An unsealed window will take in more heat from the outside, making your air conditioning unit work harder and contributing more on your bills. When properly sealed, windows will keep the cold inside during summer. Sealing your windows will help you save both energy and money.

To protect your home, furniture, and loved ones

The moisture and molds accumulated from the rain will gradually degrade your windows, flooring, and furniture over time, making it more difficult and expensive to maintain. Sealing your windows will not only lengthen your window’s lifespan, but also save everything inside.

If you live by a main road or a busy street, chances are, you find dust particles inside your home more often than others. Moreover, opening your windows for a single second will expose you to air pollutants in an instant.

Imagine what would happen if your windows are not sealed enough; you would constantly put yourself and your household in harmful pollution and dust without being aware of it. Keeping your windows sealed and well maintained will keep you healthy and free from these pollutants and allergens.

Then there are those bugs that would do anything from stealing crumbs of your food, to stinging at you for whatever reason. These pests are a major cause of annoyance at any household. Sure, you can use bug sprays and other traps, but why deal with them inside your home when there is a better way to keep them out? That’s right, closed and sealed windows will keep them from bothering you!

The Process of Sealing Windows

Now that we have discussed why sealing windows are important, we move on to how we keep it well-maintained. That way, you can enjoy all the benefits, and avoid the inconveniences discussed above.

Sealing your windows follows these steps: check for drafts, remove old caulk and glazing, and finally, apply new glazing and caulk.

Checking for drafts

The first thing to do is to identify if your window is properly sealed or not. Of all the elements discussed earlier, drafts are the easiest to check. Drafts, as mentioned earlier, are pockets of air that come inside your home through a small, unsealed opening. An easy way to determine if there are drafts is to hold a lit candle by your window seams during a windy day. If the flame bends in, it means that air can seep in your home.

Another way to check if your windows are sealed is to check if there are cracks in the caulk on the outside window pane. Caulks are the materials used to seal the glass window on your window frame. However, they dry up in the summer and cause gaps and cracks between them. If there are cracks, there’s a good chance that you have a draft in your home, and it’s time to fix them.

Another thing to check is the window glazing. This has to be done periodically because the seal around it loosens over time. By simply tapping on the glass, you can tell if the seal is loose and that it requires immediate repair.

Removing old caulk and glazing

We first use a caulk softener to make them easier to remove, letting it stand for a while before scraping them off using a putty knife. In scraping them off, we make sure to remove all of the old caulk and the hardened glazing to make sure that the new caulk will fit properly.

Apply new glazing and caulk

After cleaning the windows well, we apply the glazing. It is important that we clean them properly so that the glazing will attach properly to the window.

Window glazing comes in two types. The glazing that comes in small tubs are good for small areas because when applied, they can be easily compressed for a tighter seal. This requires the use of a putty knife or a paint scraper. The glazing can also come in tubes, which are applied using a caulking gun. They are faster to apply and works better on large areas. Once applied, we scrape out a bit of glazing to make a smooth surface along the windowpane, leaving a good finish.

After applying the window glazing, we seal the window with a caulk using a caulking gun. These caulks come in tubes which are applied on all sides of the window pane. We make sure to fill in the gaps by moving the gun precisely and applying the right amount of pressure on the tube to seal the window well while leaving a clean and smooth look.

Contact Your Trusted Window Experts Today!

Glass king upholds professional expertise for all your window repairs and maintenance in Chandler, AZ. For concerns about sealing your windows, get in touch with your glass repair experts.